Chapter 72
‘At least the debuff disappearing is a relief.’
Now there was no reason to hesitate when checking Hatred Points. Using it twice a day wouldn’t be a problem.
Even though it was good news, I couldn’t be happy about it. Something in the wording stuck in my mind.
[ You have fulfilled the condition for “Debuff Removal when Checking Hatred.” ]
‘The phrase “fulfilled the condition.”’
The reason I couldn’t see Karl’s Hatred Points had also been expressed in a similar way.
[ Hatred: Cannot be checked (Condition not fulfilled) ]
Could the condition be connected to my dream? I had been having those dreams with the hornet swarm even before I got the status window.
‘How could the system’s conditions be tied to my dreams?’
I was still pondering when—shffft!—the terrace curtain opened. It was Corporal Marco.
“Lady Odette.”
“Corporal Marco. You’ve returned. I heard you were running drills in the training ground.”
Even though I had clearly seen Marco at the banquet earlier, I feigned ignorance.
“How could I waste my time running laps when such a noble and aloof lady has called me so desperately to the terrace? Even if it was His Highness’s order.”
Still the same slippery bastard.
“I disguised a subordinate as myself and made him run in my place. Ha! Imagine how pissed I was when I got back!”
What’s there to be pissed about?
His way of speaking was as irritating as ever, but this wasn’t the time to get angry. Making this bastard fall was more important.
“And what upset you so much the moment you returned?”
I soothed him in a soft voice, walking toward the terrace railing.
“Of course I’m upset. Lady Odette, weren’t you supposed to dance only with me today? That was the condition of my little blackmail.”
“Ah, so that’s what bothered you?”
“If you go straight and dance with His Highness, what does that make me, huh?”
Seriously, what was I supposed to say to that? Be whatever you want. Why ask me? But I apologized anyway.
“I’m sorry.”
If he believed his blackmail was effective, he’d loosen his tongue.
“And of all dances, you had to waltz with him? …Ha! Then our quadrille will be completely forgotten! Don’t upset me, my lady. What if I snap and blurt everything out?”
Marco leaned in so close I could feel his breath. I lowered my gaze as though frightened.
“Don’t forget. I know you secretly went out. I know you pretended the kids were dead and smuggled them out of the graveyard. If you don’t want the Count to hear, you’d best not cross me.”
He seemed intoxicated with the situation, speaking in what he thought was a “deadly” voice.
“I really am afraid you might tell my father, Corporal. But… it’s hard to give in to blackmail.”
I let my voice tremble, testing him.
“You think only you know about my outing? If the camp commander knew, then every soldier at the camp would know too.”
“…”
“Even if I silenced the commander, the others could still tell my father. In that case, it’d be better to confess now and just get punished.”
It was bait.
I wanted to confirm whether others knew of my outing, and whether this bastard really knew how I was treated at home.
“Pwahaha!”
But Marco burst into laughter.
“I had my suspicions from the Count’s personality, but he really must be strict with his daughter.”
“…”
“How harsh must his scoldings be, for the infamous Odette—the empire’s villainess—to be this scared? Afraid the soldiers will tattle? Adorable.”
After laughing for a while, Marco continued.
“No need to worry. The moment disaster struck the camp, I killed all the men under me.”
He grinned as he said it.
“Investigators were bound to visit after such a disaster. I’d skimmed so much off the rations. If it came out, we’d all be in trouble, wouldn’t we?”
“…”
“Do you think His Excellency would let anyone live who knew the truth of the camp? Only I was spared—because I’m the Count’s right-hand man, and I’ve got Fernand backing me. The others? Just nobodies, non-transcendents, working at the camp. Disposable. Meant to be erased.”
He bragged, but the only point I needed to take away was this:
‘So basically, I only need to shut this one bastard up.’
I glanced down at the fountain below.
“So, as long as you play along with me, Lady, your secret stays safe. Understand now why you have to keep me happy?”
“…I understand.”
“You’re as beautiful as a flower. Be a little sweet to me. Who knows? I might even propose to you and save you from that strict father of yours.”
The potato bastard’s eyes roamed over my body in a disgusting way.
‘See? This idiot doesn’t know a thing.’
Marriage? As if Father would let me marry. If it were that easy to escape, would I be suffering like this?
“Then, Corporal Marco. As long as I do as you say, you’ll keep my secret?”
Pretending to yield, I watched his grin widen.
“Of course. I’ll keep your outing secret, and the children you snuck out of the camp too.”
One last thing to confirm: whether this bastard actually had proof. He had sounded confident when talking about the graveyard earlier.
If he’d covered things thoroughly, there’d be little to find there.
“But, what’s this about sneaking children out? I admit I visited the camp, but the Fenrir kids died in the disaster.”
“Don’t play dumb. The locomotive driver told me. On the last day of the Founding Festival, he saw a veiled noblewoman leaving the circus tent for the Fenrir camp—with three children. Of course, I killed him too, so no need to worry.”
“And you think that woman was me?”
I was startled, but kept my face calm.
“He hated you because he was a fanatic for Johann. Said he recognized you just from your build. Veiled hat or not, he swore it was Odette.”
“That’s it?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
He came here to blackmail me without a shred of solid evidence?
‘Just the testimony of a train driver? And you killed him yourself?’
“Evidence doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Count might punish you harshly. This time, he might even cane your legs.”
Of course, he had no idea.
‘Cane me? If Father knew I visited the camp, he’d bury me alive and secretly dispose of me. Then announce to society that his daughter had taken ill, secluded herself, and died.’
“What do you want from me?”
It probably wasn’t anything impressive.
“This is my first time attending the social season. I want to make an impression. So, you’ll have to dance with me several times in a row tonight.”
See?
That was the level of his imagination.
A spoiled daughter sneaks out despite Father’s orders. And her punishment for being caught? “If you don’t want to get in trouble, dance with me.”
Even lamer than I expected—I almost laughed.
“You killed the engineer for that?”
“I told you, I really care about you. That’s why I hid your secret from the Count, and even killed the engineer for you.”
What a joke.
“And compared to that, my demand is light, isn’t it? Just drop the villainess mask and dance with me. Help me look good with your infamous reputation. Easy, right?”
“The reputation of a villainess…”
I savored the words with a mocking smile.
I was called the empire’s greatest villainess because I took the purifier’s pay without ever purifying anything.
Add to that the rumors of my wicked temper.
So it was only at the level of “a villainess of high society”—a target of gossip, but still envied.
Proof enough that even when commoners cursed me, magazines with my face on the cover sold many times better. Proof enough that even in cheap candy wrappers, young noble girls imitated my style.
But this bastard had no clue what a real villainess’s reputation was.
The kind where every citizen of the empire wanted you hanged.
If I truly were that kind of villainess, this potato bastard wouldn’t dare blackmail me without proof.
‘Dancing with him is no big deal.’
If he had politely asked me, I might even have agreed.
‘But I know how blackmailers work.’
Once someone’s been killed, the demands never stop with something so trivial.
And this man was Father’s right-hand and Fernand’s lackey—meaning he was steeped in dirty dealings.
I’d lived among beggars in my last life. I’d met my share of blackmailers.
It always started small. Something so simple you thought, why not just do it?
But eventually, it ended with you enslaved.
So you had to crush them at the very first demand.
“Corporal Marco.”
Below was the fountain.
I perched lightly on the railing, hidden from his view, and smiled. The C-grade potato stared at my face, entranced.
“There’s a secret you don’t know. Want me to tell you?”
I tugged lightly on his tie. His mouth fell open, expecting something. His face flushed beet red, like a burning potato.
“Tell me, my lady.”
“The truth is, I’m not all that afraid of my father.”
“No way. Don’t put on an act—”
“And there’s one more thing you don’t know. You stupid bastard.”
“What?”
His eyes widened at my sudden insult.
“I’m pretty good at acting. Especially in real life.”
“What are you talking about—”
What do you think? It means you’re screwed.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs, then—
“Kyaaa! Don’t do this to me!”
I screamed loud enough to shake the entire banquet hall.
